27 October 2018
Daniele Rugani stepped up and played his part in Juve's hard-earned win at Empoli after being handed an unexpected starting berth. The 24-year-old was due to start on the bench against his former club until Giorgio Chiellini's withdrawal saw him thrown into the side at the 11th hour.
“You have to be ready whenever you're called upon and I tried to do that today,” the Italy defender told journalists after the game. “I'm glad the boss showed faith in me.”
The Bianconeri didn't have it easy by any stretch at the Stadio Castellani and Rugani feels Tuesday's energy-sapping match at Old Trafford may have affected them.
“I think we were more tired mentally than physically. When you play games like we did in Manchester sometimes you pay a small price. We played with a bit less conviction today and it cost us in the first half.
“We kept our heads though and once we got the equaliser we knew we would probably have more space.
“We must learn from games like this and the one against Genoa because you win league titles in your head more than anything. We had to work hard for these three big points but we'll gladly take them.”
